M5.3 earthquake 57 km E of Atka, Alaska
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck 57 km E of Atka, Alaska on Sat, Feb 13, 1988, 1:57 PM HAST (23:57 UTC), 54 km (33 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3 (Mw, moment), moderate
- Magnitude from
- USGS National Earthquake Information Center
- Local time
- UTC
- 1988-02-13 23:57:45 UTC
- Depth
- 53.8 km (33.4 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 52.296° N, 173.379° W
- Region
- Alaska
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
Magnitude estimates
Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.
| Mag. | Scale | Computed by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.3 | Mw, moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Preferred · Reviewed |
| 5.26 | Mw, moment | ISC-GEM global catalog | Final · ±0.1 |
| 5.7 | mb, body-wave | USGS historic United States catalog | Final |
| 5.3 | Mwc, centroid moment | Global CMT project | Preliminary |
What happened
The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.
Felt (II) on Adak. CENTROID, MOMENT TENSOR (HRV) Data Used: GDSN L.P.B.: 13S, 28C Centroid Location: Origin Time 23:57:49.1 0.8 Lat 52.58N 0.07 Lon 173.28W 0.07 Dep 58.6 3.4 Half-duration 1.6 Moment Tensor; Scale 10**16 Nm Mrr=8.43 0.38 Mtt=-5.08 0.46 Mff=-3.36 0.40 Mrt=0.98 0.57 Mrf=3.64 0.63 Mtf=-5.06 0.78 Principal Axes: (T) Val=9.48 Plg=73 Azm=264 (N) Val=0.40 Plg=13 Azm=45 (P) Val=-9.89 Plg=10 Azm=138 Best Double Couple:Mo=9.7*10**16 NP1:Strike=244 Dip=37 Slip=113 NP2:Strike=36 Dip=56 Slip=74
Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) II
From the USGS event page for usp0003d08. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.
Did you feel it?
No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Depth from
- CONSTRAINED_BY_DEPTH_PHASES
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 2.3 and up: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 4.770 km NE of Atka, Alaska · 14102 days ago · 33 km deep · 41 km away
- 4.693 km SE of Atka, Alaska · 14068 days ago · 33 km deep · 77 km away
- 5.069 km ESE of Atka, Alaska · 14056 days ago · 54 km deep · 39 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayAlaska earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp0003d08 (also filed as gcmtb021388c, ushis4068, gcmt19880213235745, iscgem445524). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:37 AM UTC.